ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE—Widespread youth unemployment is creating a generation of the jobless, Pope Francis said Monday, setting the tone for a weeklong visit to Brazil that marks the first foreign trip of his papacy.

The Argentine pope, speaking to reporters at the start of a 12-hour flight to Rio de Janeiro, criticized labor markets that he said treated young people as "disposable."

"We...

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During his Sunday Angelus blessing, Pope Francis asked pilgrims to pray for his first visit to Brazil for World Youth Day. Photo: Associated Press.